Strings Attached by Joanne Lipman and Melanie Kupchynsky

My friend, Sheila, passed this book on to me.  It reminded me of the movie, Mr. Holland's Opus, starring Richard Dreyfuss....as well as of my own band experience with Mr. Richard Swinsick, a respected musician in the education field who touched hundreds of lives.

Mr. "K", as he was affectionately referred to, came to NJ with memories that he tried to bury of his violent background in war torn Ukraine.  Unbeknownst to his students, that baggage made him into the teacher they knew:  disciplined, demanding, hopeful, creative, sometimes angry, sometimes tender.  It was in the years that he was fleeing for his life, as a young teen --that he heard a violin being played from an open window (one of the only beautiful things he had ever experienced), which instilled in him the dream of being a musician.  That dream kept him going and expanded into teaching others to appreciate and "feel the music".

This book was co-written by 2 of his students, one a competent  violist and the other his daughter, who became a principal violinist in the Chicago Symphony.  Both write in the first person, concurrently weaving each story as the years go by; from their early beginnings at young ages and through to a final concert for Mr. K at his funeral.  This is the story of a life-giving man who changed the lives of his students, amidst personal obstacles.

Mr. Swinsick also brightened our lives, by expecting the best from us; by urging us to pick ourselves up when we "failed" at solo & ensembles; by building a team that depended on one another in marching and concert season; and by fully giving of himself.  Both of these men, as well as countless other music teachers, knew that music would change us and make us better....for all of our lives.

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

Very intense read because of the violence and evil treatment from slave masters and anti-abolitionists towards slaves and the harborers of runaways.  The interesting twist is the author's premise that the Underground Railroad was actually real--real rails deep underneath the ground that provided escape from southern plantations to places of freedom in the North.

There were many ideas introduced that made me unsure as to whether the author simply took liberties in his fictitious rendering, or if there were elements of truth.  For instance:  that SC actually initially accepted the runaways and provided jobs (after all, this state was in the deep South); that the runaway patrollers could go as far North as needed to capture slaves and return them (I thought that the runaways were given their freedom when they crossed the Mason Dixon line); that Freedom Farms such as the IN Valentine Farm actually were created and used for good; that there could possibly be those who were only interested in their own "gains" as they appeared to be working for the cause of the runaways (SC movers, grave diggers, masters who promised freedoms that were never given).

Overall, a story of the redemption of Cora, in all of the violence, turmoil, disappointments and victories that were hers.....with characters who joined in with her along the way.

Christmas Days 2016

Snowy, cold days with the Hendrens and the Tegelaars. It was the 12 days of Christmas!  After some horrific flight delays and waits, the Hendrens arrived at 3 am, with kiddos time zones slightly messed up!  Grama (GGma) arrived that Tuesday for a broccoli soup lunch with Donna and Alise to spend a little time with Maelie and Walker; but we all ended up working on a Charlie Brown 400 piece puzzle, and ....finished it that day!! Tegelaars set a record and came through the door at 4:30 on Wednesday, to join us for a chicken taco dinner...and we were off to a racing start.
Favorite Moments:
*Quiet First Morning w/ Maelie, snuggling by the Christmas Tree
*Smiles & laughter from Maelie & Walker, on their first trip down the snowy backyard hill
*Bill & Mar taking the Euchre win against Keith & Mel
*Ringing the Salvation Army bells at Walmart
*Watching Jet share his "ga-ga" with Walker (truck) & keeping him entertained
*Hearing Azi nailing Mikkel's bad habits (that mother-daughter thing)
*Seeing the very clear differences in temperament in the grands at Chucky-Cheese.  Some      immediately jumping into all the fun, others reviewing and determining the best places to use their  tickets, others realizing the importance of following Chuckie in order to get more tickets --just a  great Walker Family Fun Day!
*Sitting between Jet and Azi on Christmas Eve
*Reading Aladdin to Maelie and Walker points to the big blue genie and says "Gwama"!!
*Delighting in Zeal's generosity and joy on Christmas morning
*Playing Racko with Jet, one on one
*Costume participation from all on Christmas Day (Teg clearly the most creative...)
*Putting Trux to bed one night, enjoying his insights--reading One Fish Two Fish, trying to skip a page and he nailed me!!!
*"Almost Grown Up" chatter with Azi
*Bible story every night with all the kids gathered in the living room

Simply hanging out and living life with our kids, marveling at their adultness, special relationships with their spouses, and shared parenting.  So proud of them.

New Years Day Musings

God's sense of humor showed up again today! Love when that happens.  Out on my walk on a sunny 45 degree day, reviewing what Pastor Wes encouraged us to do during worship:  release.  "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a NEW creation - old things are passed away and the new has come." (II Corinthians 5:17).  So, what are the old things that need to go in my life?  The 2016 weights that are holding me?  I release my need for approval (again).  I release my worry over appearances.  I release my control over my carefully laid plans.  I release my control over Bill's life and all that I think he should be doing or not doing (please, Lord).  I release my mouth.  I release my judgmentalism.  I release my need to be right.  I release my anger.  It was quite a walk!

The funny part?  I noticed a hair on one of my gloves and attempted to shake it off.  When that didn't work, I carefully reached over with the other gloved hand to gently remove it and shake that hand.  No chance.  Determining to be rid of it, I took off a glove and used my freed hand to get the rascal and throw it off---then I laughed out loud!  How creative of God to give me the exact visual of my struggle to release the junk in my life!  I desperately want to release those "old things" but they sometimes stick and it takes several attempts to truly "let go".

Releasing, relinquishing, relieving, letting go--so that I can forge ahead with freedom into 2017!  It already feels great to know I'm taking baby steps into the new year.

The Power of a Whisper by Bill Hybels

Truly enjoy the writing of Bill Hybels; relatable, common sense and real.  He did not disappoint in this offering on listening for God's whispers.  This is the book I will take with me on my next prayer day, as a great review and preparation for quietly listening.  Probably the key point Hybels made was that God speaks His word back to us--if I have not been mulling on passages or committing Scripture to memory, those words do not come back to me when I am looking for answers, comfort or direction.

Mostly I loved the personal stories about how God met this man in his need; sometimes broken, sometimes defeated, sometimes fearful.  No matter what I think about huge churches, programs and hype--this is about the daily struggles of one who has loved and served God in both good and bad times.